University College Isle of Man is to hold a festival, which it hopes will attract researchers in all discipline areas across the island.

The Festival of Research has been organised by Research Vannin, which the college describes as ’a collaborative information and resource hub committed to supporting and developing the research community’ across the Isle of Man.

Research Vannin is a cross-government group. Its ’hub’ will be launched at the Festival.

Gail Corrin, higher education manager at UCM, said: ’The benefits of research, or "formalised curiosity" as it has been described, are all around us.

’The best innovative ideas and good practices are based on understanding how things work and making decisions based on evidence or data.

’Research is often conducted within educational institutions like UCM but across the island, in DHSC and DEFA and many other organisations - there are research projects and researchers in action.

’UCM and its partners in Research Vannin are keen to unify and promote this activity and over time develop the island as a research destination.’

Speakers and panellists from a range of fields will discuss a host of research topics and there will also be a chance to attend free workshops on securing funding, accessing free academic resources, writing for publication, and researching with the Manx National Heritage library database.

Among stands planned for the festive are Sense About Science, the Scholl Research Centre through Hospice Isle of Man and LoveTech.

The opening address will be given by Professor Dr Enny Sudarmonowati, chair of the Unesco biosphere programme’s international co-ordinating council.

At the heart of the event is a three-minute thesis competition with a chance to win a £500 prize.

Anyone who would like to enter the competition should send a 250-word abstract to [email protected] by July 1.

Those selected will have three minutes to present their research to a mixed audience who may have no prior knowledge of the subject.

A single slide may be used, but must be stationary and remain visible throughout the presentation. The winner will receive a prize of £500.

Dr Becky Rowley, head of research and development at the Department of Health and Social Care, has been involved with organising the Festival from the start.

She said: ’This is a first of its kind for the island. We are trying to combine the concepts of festival and conference to allow people to engage more with research.

’We recognise that often researchers can feel isolated on the island, and that research thrives in collaborative environments.

’Therefore we want to create a research community to enable people to enhance their skills and network with others.’

The Festival of Research will take place on July 19 at the University College Isle of Man (UCM) Nunnery campus, from 10am-4pm.

Free tickets can be booked via Eventbrite by searching ’Festival of Research’.